This invention relates generally to roasting pans, and more particularly to, a roasting pan with a hanging and interlocking rack.
Roasting pans with wire racks are commonly used for roasting or baking a large food item, such as a roast or turkey, in the oven. Typically, the wire racks are removable from the roasting pan. The wire racks are designed to support the food item in the pan. Often, the wire racks include spacers or feet positioned at the bottom of the rack to balance the rack and allow it to stand on a flat surface. The spacers raise the rack to position the roast so that it is off of the bottom surface of the pan. Thus, the wire rack prevents the roasts from being submerged in the cooking juices. However, it can be undesirable for the rack or spacers to rest on the interior of the pan when the pan has a non-stick coating because the wire rack can damage the non-stick surface of the pan.
Typically, wire racks are positioned in roasting pans such that the wire rack extends the length of the roasting pan and the width of the roasting pan. Also, the wire rack may include handles. The handles are positioned such that one handle is at each end of the rack. Thus, depending on the size and placement of the wire rack in the roasting pan, the wire rack handles that extend from the wire rack are positioned opposite each other at the ends of the roasting pan or at the middle of the roasting pan. If the roasting pan also has handles, the wire rack handles can be aligned with and adjacent to the roasting pan handles.
Often when the roasting pan with the wire rack is removed from the oven, the rack and the food item thereon shift.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a roasting pan with a wire rack that does not shift when moved or removed from the oven.
It is another object of the invention to provide a wire rack having handles that interlock with the handles of the roasting pan.
It is another object of the invention to provide a wire rack that hangs in the roasting pan and prevents the food item from sitting in the cooking juice.
It is another object of the invention to provide a suspended wire rack that raises the food item thereon from the bottom of the pan thereby providing improved heat distribution.
It is another object of the invention to provide a wire rack that does not damage the interior surface of the roasting pan.
These and other objects of the present invention, as well as the advantages thereof over existing prior art forms, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are accomplished by the improvements herein after described and claimed.
The present invention is directed to a cooking implement such as a roaster that includes a rack and a pan. The rack has opposed sides that are separated by a surface used to support food. The rack also includes a looped handle that may be formed at each end or side of the rack. The pan has opposed side walls and opposed end walls connecting the side walls. Each end wall or side wall of the pan includes an upstanding handle. The handles include at least one horizontal resting surface for supporting the looped handle of the rack. The handle also includes at least one outwardly facing vertical retaining surface for abutting the looped handle of the rack. The looped handles of the rack are received and supported by the handles of the pan. As a result, the rack is interlocked with the pan such that the rack does not shift when the pan is moved.